WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 2014 >>>
1. A Portlander by way of Ohio and Boston, Brock Ginther share's Robert Pollard's desire for playful experimentation. On his most recent release, The Breakfast Cowboy, Ginther has populated the album with 22 songs that frequently come across as more than sketches. The concepts are left-field and verging on the surreal, and the melodies are as airtight as a minute-long song can be. The Breakfast Cowboy covers a dizzying amount of ground over its 22 tracks. Though everything is couched in a similarly wry, lo-fi aesthetic, Ginther takes excursions through Moldy Peaches-esque, conversational singer-songwriter fare ("The Tallest Hamburger"); '60s Latin music appropriation ("Litter"); Ween-esque trips down weird rabbit holes ("Lizard Defender"); and stop-start grunge ("Exotic Cop Lingo"). Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Brock Ginther in the Music & Culture section, then catch Ginther with opener Super Brown at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.
2. Historian Alan Archambault will discuss black soldiers in the Civil War and their ties to the Pacific Northwest at noon in the Washington State History Museum. Archambault, who was the head curator at the Fort Lewis Military Museum for 21 years, will reference "Civil War Pathways in the Northwest," an exhibit at the museum through July 6, and in particular Fort Steilacoom Commander Gen. Silas Casey, who was instrumental in the recruitment of black troops in the Union Army in 1863.
3. Nothing says "spring into summer" like rosé. If you are not familiar with this pink wine, STINK: Cheese and Meat hosts Rosé-A-Palooza from 5-8 p.m. The Tacoma uber deli will pour pink wines from all over the world: France, Spain, Italy, Africa, South America and some from our backyards - Washington and Oregon)! For $10, you'll receive 10 tastes and some light snacks.
4. Folk, jazz, to late night and sultry blues- Carolyn Cruso has a varied resume. Hailing from the Hudson River Valley of New York State, she now calls the misty shores of Orcas Island home, so the jaunt to Tacoma's A Rhapsody in Bloom for a 7 p.m. show will be a shorter commute. Her music is largely inspired by her travels both in the U.S. and Europe, as well as her long connection to nature, and keen interest in the stories of people she meets out on the road. Wielding two guitars, a flute, a hammered dulcimer and her voice Cruso will channel the traveling minstrels and divine misfits she has met on the back roads of life in the floral and espresso shop on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.
5. Born in France in the early '60s, Claude Bourbon grew up in Switzerland, where he was classically trained for many years. This finger picking guitarist has performed and studied all over the world; he has crafted an unbelievable fusion of classical and jazz, with ethereal Eastern influences, Spanish and Latin elements with strains of Western folk. Catch the Medieval and Spanish blue guitarist at 7 p.m. in the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma.
LINK: Wednesday, May 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
